2020, here we come (part 1-2-3)

Part 1

Between the ages of 6 and 22 I was a member of the Chiro movement. So YES I learned how to folk dance and NO it was not my cup of tea, but back in those days I had the time of my life and learned a lot. We all attached great importance to creativity in a broad sense: from being able to “stand on your own feet” in difficult situations to planning activities that are both attractive to children and adolescents.
“The Greek mythologie” was the most exciting camp theme, with day themes like “ Pandora’s box, “Hades and the underworld” and “ Dionysus” (better known by his Roman name Bacchus, God of intoxication and drunkenness) Next to that Bacchus also brought a lot of inspiration and civilization. No worries, I have learned more than just dealing with a series of hangovers.

What really stood out in my mind, back then, was that a mixture of people of all kinds found the most creative solutions. It is all about sharing your competences to serve a greater whole. Just put your self-interest to the side in order to build something that is valuable to all of us.

I experienced this as a spontaneous process. Being an adult now, it feels more like a struggle to achieve the same thing. Once a new generation of leaders took our place, we had to face a new world. All of a sudden everyone sticks to his or her own ambitions. In this social context some of us joined an association or a club. I became director of Unizo Belzele (=an entrepreneurs organization ; others became a member of KWB (in Belzele the most progressive wing among the labour movement)

Evergem-Belzele is a small community containing almost as much movements as it has inhabitants. I thought it would be interesting to organise a cycle tour, as a way of contributing to unity and tolerance in our village. What used to be for granted now suddenly appeared to be impossible. This is how they reacted to my suggestion: “It sounds like fun, but we don’t believe it will catch on well. We all rather go out and have fun with like-minded people, right? (read as : We are all interest groups and we all have conflicting interest. We are not open to the fact that we have the same or probably even more parallel interests, because then our interest group might be no longer justified ……) : Welcome to the real world!

Lose-lose situation

Something is moving but still we suffer the same effects too often. Our personal ambitions are the most important beneficiaries of our competences. As long as we keep idolizing this philosophy, we are doomed to both slow down our personal development as well as every other development.
Everyone realises that sharing insights, knowledge and competences only can lead to an accelerated development, but it seems like everyone is scared of the risks involved. This is understandable. We all want to have insight in the knowledge of others, but we like to keep our own knowledge for ourselves. That is why a win-win outcome can’t be assured. There is the guarantee, though, of creating a lose-lose situation when we decide not to work together. Of course this is a huge struggle, but those parties who eventually manage to cooperate are likely to take a huge step forward. If they succeed, it will become difficult to catch up with them.

Part 2

We talk a lot about co-creation, while it would be better if we were talking about Co-Creation. Little co will lead to little creation. Once we are all convinced of this idea, we can ask ourselves: “What now? What next?”

As you might have expected, I have to disappoint you … I don’t know. So far, I haven’t heard much noise, although something is going on. Hesitant first attempts are being made between different partners. So far no pioneering initiatives have emerged, but old business models are being questioned even when a concrete long-term alternative has not yet been found. I have noticed this shift in both the position of the organiser as the supplier.

Stand constructors and suppliers think about sharing logistic process costs, both in terms of transportation as in handling. Some think about integrating products of different suppliers into one product (solution). And some even try to think about specialisations within stand construction. When we notice a sufficient share of the market for both parties, why not redirecting clients to one another? Through specialisation our clients might pay less than before, and so less pressure is put on our margins …

This is a difficult matter, but one that is definitely worth discussing. I believe we should not be too hasty, nor wait too long. Those who see it will realise that the old business models might disappear faster than expected. It is then important to already have a new model and not just any model. It has to be adjusted to the new needs. Besides, the various actors must be willing to accept this new model. Also important is to align the different new models to one another. Boundaries will become blurry and objectives and interests will run in parallel. That is why we have to exchange (important) information so we can work together to build a larger entity in which each party can play a significant role. And we can only achieve this through Co-Creation.

Part 3

A lot of companies nowadays are at their wits’ end. They have lost their ways and are drastically in search of new products and services. But why is only slow progress being made and companies are left stuck with tons of ideas? How can one take action to quicker and better translate ideas into commercial successes? Which business models assure the future of your company? What we have noticed is that companies insufficiently cooperate.
Entrepreneurs too often think in terms of their own products and services. Their principle is as follows: “how can my product or service add value to my client?” Instead of: “what are the needs of my customer?” Only little attention is paid to the necessity to engage in dialogue with customers, to reflect together on the existing and new needs and figure out for what exactly someone is really willing to pay for. Eventually a client will purchase something that meets his needs. That is why we should believe in co-creation with our clients and detect together the real needs.
The business model canvas of Alex Osterwalder is an ideal tool to match the needs of the clients to the added value of your products and services. The model gives you insight into their needs according to different customer segments. The left side of the canvas shows the strategic partners. Which companies do we need strategically to achieve the added value and so meet customer needs?
A good cooperation should start as early as possible. Believe in co-creation with strategic partners and reflect on new ideas and the realisation of added value for the client. Why we should all work together? The answer is pretty simple: to see an innovation project completed, we primarily need time, budget and knowledge. The speed of change, the complexity and the competition just forces us to cooperate. Use the business model canvas and think in terms of co-creation and strategic partnerships. A trend among young entrepreneurs is to work together, use technology and think internationally.
We now know WHAT we will do, HOW we can put it on the market and with WHOM we are going to work together. The bottom bar of the business model canvas helps us to determine the revenue model. Be creative and think together with third parties about how to make money. This choice will have a big impact on your chances of success on the market, both in terms of growth and profit.
Participate in co-creation with your clients, strategic partners, suppliers, sellers and other entrepreneurs. The new standard is entrepreneurship!

Some organisers launch the idea of “participation fees” instead of “fees per square meter”. Here and there different formulas are offered … stance size, demo room, forum price or a combination of those different variables. The linking-up of different markets, like fairs and events, is being considered. Even combining fairs of different organisers is not too far-fetched …

Stand constructors and suppliers think about sharing logistic process costs, both in terms of transportation as in handling. Some think about integrating products of different suppliers into one product (solution). And some even try to think about specialisations within stand construction. When we notice a sufficient share of the market for both parties, why not redirecting clients to one another? Through specialisation our clients might pay less than before, and so less pressure is put on our margins …

This is a difficult matter, but one that is definitely worth discussing. I believe we should not be too hasty, nor wait too long. Those who see it will realise that the old business models might disappear faster than expected. It is then important to already have a new model and not just any model. It has to be adjusted to the new needs. Besides, the various actors must be willing to accept this new model. Also important is to align the different new models to one another. Boundaries will become blurry and objectives and interests will run in parallel. That is why we have to exchange (important) information so we can work together to build a larger entity in which each party can play a significant role. And we can only achieve this through Co-Creation.